Darling, We're Doomed
by Snowthistle
Summary: A series of events in doomed timelines and the Dreambubbles. Katnep. Character deaths.
1. Find Him

Find Him

Everywhere there is inky black darkness that stretches on for who knows how far. Of course the inky blackness does get the occasional splash of color from the spherical bubbles floating around outside of time. Dreambubbles aren't always happy things to encounter, especially when there are alternates from doomed timeline. A young troll girl clad in shades of magenta with translucent olive wings flies quietly through the caliginous expanse. An expression of cheerfulness no longer graces her face, for it has been replaced with a jaded countenance. Normally she wouldn't look this upset, but she's been through so much and has lost hope in finding a certain someone. A nubby horned troll boy stands on the outside of a meteor. The meteor has been traveling through the expanse for quite some time. The troll boy spots the girl and calls out to her with slight surprise in his tone. She turns around to face him, and he understands; she was dead like the others.

She flies over to him and lands about two feet away. He looks calmly at her milky eyes-actually he hated that they were so milky white- and her magenta clothes and olive wings. She is from an alternate timeline, but she is the same troll he once knew. He recognizes her easily from her cat ear shaped horns and her short messy hair, but he is surprised to see that dead face looking so melancholy. She knows he's not from her timeline, but she feels a little bit better now that she's found him.

"Hello, Nepeta," he murmurs.

She smiles a little," You're not yelling as usual."

He frowns," I don't yell all the time."

"I know. I'm sorry for saying that."

He raises an eyebrow," You didn't use any cat puns."

Her smile fades," I know. I have no reason to use them. I'm not as cheerful as I once was."

"Surely you couldn't have had it that bad. You're Nepeta, and I know that things usually don't get you upset no matter how bad they are."

"Well, I did witness the Karkat from my timeline die, and I couldn't do anything to save him. I died a heroic death later on, and I was hoping to find him here. I've been looking for him for so long, but I haven't found him. I've completely lost hope in ever finding him. This place is so big, and there are so many dreambubbles to go through."

"You're going to find him. I know you will. If you care enough to keep looking for him, then you will find him. Have you stopped looking for him?"

She shook her head," I haven't."

"Then you still have hope that you'll find him."

She nodded and looked him straight into his eyes," Have you found her?"

"Her?"

"Have you found your Nepeta?"

"No, I haven't."

"Do you even want to see her?"

"I do. I miss her, and all of my other friends," he paused," I miss her more than I'd admit."

"How did she die?"

"Wait, how did you know she was dead in the first place?"

"I don't know, but I suppose it's because all alternates are connected in some way. We can tell if an alternate is dead or still alive and especially the alpha timeline."

"I see. Well, I sent off Equius to go put a stop to Gamzee from murdering those who didn't already get murdered by Eridan. Little did I know that Equius was going to do the stupid thing and ended up getting strangled to death. I guess Nepeta had seen her dead moirail and decided to kill Gamzee, but he ended up killing her first. He bludgeoned her to death from the looks of it. I regret not going to stop him myself because now I've lost someone who actually really cared for me. I lost someone who would listen to me and care about me. I regret a lot of things, but I think this is one of my biggest regrets."

She smiled again," I'm sure you'll find her."

"Do you think she would forgive me for what happened?"

"I believe she will. She's not one to hold grudges. You should know that though."

"You're right."

The meteor was now approaching a dreambubble, and Karkat and the alternate Nepeta watched as they came closer. It opened up to the Land of Pulse and Haze, and the alternate fluttered her wings in anticipation. Karkat reached out and gently squeezed her hand, and she turned and smiled with a more relaxed expression. She knew her Karkat had to be in this dreambubble. She could sense that he was close. The two trolls looked around the planet carefully, and occasionally Karkat would express his distaste for his planet. The alternate would giggle and say she liked his planet and didn't understand why he hated it so much; she didn't care that it was a mutant color. Karkat sighed irritably and hoped they would leave soon. In the distance stood another nubby horned troll with a troll in a green trench coat. Karkat turned to the alternate and gave her a questioning look. She looked at him and nodded; he knew she wanted to go see if the Karkat was from her timeline. She scooped Karkat up and flew over with him, and Karkat gave out minor protests to being picked up so suddenly. The other Karkat turned towards them and looked surprised to see the two arriving. The alternate Nepeta gently set Karkat on his feet and landed beside him.

"I told you we'd find them," the alternate Karkat said to Nepeta.

The alternate Nepeta sprinted forward and gave a tight hug to her Karkat. He complained about her hugging him so tightly, and she merely giggled. She told him how much she missed him and how she wasn't sure she'd ever find him again, and he chided her for getting upset over something silly but thanked her for not giving up on looking for him. Karkat looked on at the two alternates and was jealous of how happy they looked being reunited. A gentle tap on his shoulder caused him to break his gaze from them and turn to the Nepeta from his timeline. With every second that he stared at her came waves of regret for his past actions. She shouldn't have milky white eyes or a sad smile on her face; she shouldn't have been dead in the first place.

"AC greets CG excitedly! She hasn't seen him fur a long time and is glad she got to see him again!" she greeted enthusiastically.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

Her smile disappeared," I'm sorry, Karkat."

"No, don't apologize! You're not the one who needs to apologize! I am! I sent Equius to his inevitable doom and therefore sent you to yours as well! It's all my fault for not going to calm down Gamzee myself and now you're dead because of my cowardly actions!" he snapped.

"Well, it was my fault fur jumping out of the vent. I probably should have waited fur some assistance from everyone else. I guess that was my mistake!" she smiled.

"Why? Wh-why aren't you angry with me? Why aren't you yelling at me and screaming and wanting to slit open my mutant neck open? Why?!"

"Karkat, you should know by now that I'm not that type of person. You're not being a coward for not going after Gamzee because I'm sure anyone else in that situation would have done the same thing. Also, about your mutant blood, I don't care."

"You don't care?"

"I don't care that you have mutant blood, Karkat. I mean does that really matter? I love you for you. I mean I know my place should something come up but other than that, I love _you_."

"You really mean that?"

"I do, Karkat," she stepped forward and planted a ghostly kiss onto his cheek," Now go win this game fur us. I know you can do it."


	2. Knight: Assist

Knight: Assist

White, sugary snow stretched far and wide on Nepeta's planet. In fact, it wasn't even snow but sugar. Rivers of green tea ran throughout the land and giant teapots with cats on them were scattered around. Nepeta had requested for Karkat to travel over to her planet for a bit to help her out with some enemies because Equius was busy on his planet. Karkat made his way over to LOLCAT as quickly as he could and began to search for her. The sugar cubes crunched underneath his shoes as he made his way through the saccharine world. He looked around and cringed inwardly at the thought of getting cavities just by being on this planet for so long but, if Equius hadn't developed any cavities from being here with Nepeta, surely he wouldn't risk getting cavities himself. As long as he refrained from shoveling mouthfuls of sugar, he should be fine. He turned a few seconds too late as a magenta clad body and fluttering wings collided with him and sent him sprawling upon his back into the white cubes beneath him.

"Nepeta, if you wouldn't mind, I would like you to get your body off of my sternum and your hands off of my neck," he said rolling his eyes.

Nepeta giggled and slid off to the side," Oh, Karkat, you know I'm just happy to see you!"

"Yes, yes, I know you're completely ecstatic that I came to your planet to see you. I thought you needed help dealing with enemies."

"I do need your help! They're just so strong, and I haven't exactly gotten the hang of my god tier powers yet."

"And what exactly makes you think that I've gotten the hang of mine?"

"Well, you're an experienced fighter already whether you're god tier or not. I just needed someone to help me keep the enemies to a minimum. They're absolutely everywhere, and I can't fight all of them at once!"

"Alright, I'll help you, but please keep the tacklepouncing to a minimum."

"Don't you worry I will!"

Karkat assisted Nepeta in fighting larger enemies such as giclopes, ogres, and basilisks. She was getting the hang of using her powers, but she continued to enforce the use of her clawkind specibus since she was used to fighting with it. Karkat had to drag her out of the way on occasion of her being reckless and flighty. She would then apologize, and he would sigh heavily and tell her to be more careful. He momentarily watched her from afar as she went to attack an ogre. He'd forgotten how tiny she was compared to these giant adversaries and felt the urge to protect her and keep her safe. He wondered if it was due to his god tier status as a Knight, but he decided that his urge was based on how tiny she was. She was pretty short compared to the rest of their friends and especially Equius, but Nepeta never seemed to let her small size get the better of her and fought well. He admired her bravery and agility as she fought against the game generated enemies. He cringed when the sound of her yelp broke through his thoughts, and he stared wide-eyed at her being impaled by the tentacle of a lich. With a scowl, Karkat made his way over quickly to rescue Nepeta and take her to safety.

He sliced through the tentacle and grabbed Nepeta before flying off to a safe area away from the enemies. Olive blood was running everywhere and stained the pure white sugar on the ground, but Karkat was more worried about Nepeta's well-being than the soiling of sugar cubes. Nepeta's breathing came out in labored gasps and tears rolled down her cheeks. Karkat stroked her hair soothingly and removed her mask as he assessed the wound she received from the lich. It was deep and there was no way he'd be able to get someone to heal it in time before she passed. They would have to wait it out and have her die and revive, but Karkat wished he could put her out of her suffering soon. He shook his head at the thought of killing her with his sickle and decided just to calm her down and keep her from panicking.

"Nepeta," his voice came out surprisingly calm," you're going to be alright. Just relax and it'll be all over soon."

She let out a soft whimper," Karkat, it hurts so much. I'm sorry I wasn't careful."

"Shh, it's not your fault. I should have been watching your back, but I spaced out and let you get injured."

"I-I'm going to die now aren't I?"

"Yes, you will, but you'll revive don't worry. It was neither a heroic or just death, so you'll be just fine.

She hiccupped and squeezed her eyes tightly from the pain before opening them again," You're not going to leave me are you?"

"No, I won't, Nepeta, come on I'm not heartless."

She laughed wryly," I'm heartless."

He sighed," If you were heartless, then I'm sure your heart would be beating on the ground or somewhere else. You merely have a giant hole in your chest where your heart coincidentally happens to be."

She sniffled, "Karkat, know this is really silly to bring up right now but…"

He waited as she caught her breath before speaking once again.

"…I love you."

"Nepeta…"

"Karkat, I'm being serious here," she gasped," I know you're flushed for Terezi and all, but I just wanted to get it out right now. I know you just told me I was going to revive in a little bit, but I wanted to tell you that anyways."

"I see…"

She closed her eyes once more and her breathing slowed until is completely stopped. Karkat gently stroked her hair again and fixed her mussed bangs. His fingers wiped away the blood slowly pooling from her mouth and brushed away the tears from her eyes. She looked peaceful and delicate in death and, if it weren't for the gaping hole in her chest, she looked like she was merely sleeping. He brushed away a few tears from his own face that he'd been unaware of. He didn't protect her like he should have. He was a failure of a Knight for not protecting her, and she was so tiny. He gripped his hair in irritation. _Just because she's tiny doesn't mean that she's a helpless wriggler! Get it together Vantas! _He mentally reprimanded himself and waited for Nepeta to revive. _She loves me, but she knows I'm flushed for Terezi._ He sighed and kept watch over her body. Rainbow hued light glowed around Nepeta's body, and she slowly rose into the air.

_Am I really flushed for Terezi as much as I think?_

Her body floated in the air surrounded by the rainbow lights for a few moments as she began to revive.

_Maybe it's better if I stop trying to pursue Terezi._

Her eyes slowly opened as her body gently descended to the ground once more.

_It's probably better for my mental health anyways. I'm not so sure I like her as much as I thought I did._

She smiled," Hello, again."

"See? I knew you'd be perfectly fine.'

"Hee hee I suppose you did," she said sitting up.

"Come on, let's get going," he stood up and offered her his hand.

She took his hand and stood up; he would do his best to watch her back from now on.


	3. Derse

Derse

He wasn't quite used to being dead, and he was sure she wasn't either. They were both from alternate timelines, but they were content to be with each other either way. Things had gone differently with relationships in his timeline. Feferi reciprocated Eridan's flushed feelings, Sollux hadn't killed Aradia, and Tavros and Vriska actually had a somewhat stable relationship with each other. He on the other hand had a crush on the Nepeta of his timeline, but he never knew if she reciprocated or not. He wondered if his Nepeta was still alive or if the timeline already became a doomed existence. Any event that differed from what was supposed to happen immediately became a doomed timeline inferior to the alpha timeline. The Nepeta beside him was actually from the alpha timeline herself, but her situation was special. She was the dream self of the alpha Nepeta, and she'd been killed by a prototyped being named Bec Noir. He'd apologized for her death, but she said there was no need for any apologies; he'd gone through so much in that timeline already. Currently, the two dead trolls wandered through the castle of Derse in the dreambubble they inhabited. She was clad in her Derse dress and he was clad in his god tier clothing.

"In your timeline, I don't reciprocate your feelings? Waking or sleeping?" Karkat asked.

Nepeta smiled sadly and shook her head," No, I'm afurraid not. I'm not sure if you even know about my feelings, but that's okay. Besides both me and my waking self are dead, so it's not like I can do anything about it now."

"I'm so sorry that happened."

"It's okay. There's nothing to be done about it now. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll come back to life after we beat the game-if we beat the game that is- and I'll be able to tell my Karkat how I feel."

He smiled," I hope that does happen. Then it would fulfill what I failed to do to my Nepeta in my timeline."

"You seem less crabby than my Karkat."

"It might be because of different circumstances. I'm still pretty crabby from time to time, but I guess it's more or less alleviated when I talk to my Nepeta. Of course I still beat myself up for being such an idiotic, sappy dork."

She giggled," Now that sounds like the Karkat I know and love."

"Why do you love me? Him? Augh whatever!"

"I'll just say you to make things more simple. I mean you're all puretty much the exact same purrson after all no matter which timeline."

"Thanks."

"I know you can be self-deprecating because of all that's happened within this game, and I know you hate a lot of things about yourself. The thing is that you care for everyone so much despite how much you say you hate everyone and everything, and that really means a lot. I know this whole thing has been such an ordeal for you and even being the leader of our entire group has been really stressful, but you've done so much to get us through this and win the game. I really wish that I could be the one to make you happy, but in my timeline you're interested in Terezi and I respect that."

"I see."

They proceeded down a spiraling tower and came to a parapet. They chatted together and mainly enjoyed being in each other's company as they shared stories between them. Sure they were alternates, but that didn't stop them from chatting with each other and enjoying an afterlife together. Little insecurities would come up now and then and left them in silence, but a hand squeeze or pat on the shoulder cheered them up instantly. Nepeta suddenly stopped and sat leaning against a wall, and Karkat took his place beside her. She sighed and closed her eyes while hugging her knees to her chest. The memory of being stabbed by Bec Noir came flooding back to her and her chest acquired three fresh stab wounds. Tears spilled out of her closed eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Karkat looked over with concern," Nepeta?"

"It's not fair…" she whispered.

"What?"

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" she shrieked suddenly.

"Nepeta, what's the matter?"

"It's not fair. It's not fair. I-…wh-what did I do wrong? Was it something that I did to deserve this? I mean I've been patient. I-I've been so patient. I-I never interfered with your relationship with Terezi, I never really made enemies with anyone, I've had Equius as a moirail for as long as I can remember, and I don't kill what I don't eat-excusing trolls of course but not that I've killed anyone. I just don't understand what I did to deserve this," she pointed to the stab wounds in her chest.

"…You didn't deserve it, Nepeta. Your waking self never deserved to be," he nearly choked on his words," bludgeoned to death and decapitated either."

Nepeta brought her hands to her face to cover up her tears, but Karkat pulled her into a hug and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. His fingers traced gentle circles into her back as she sobbed, and he stroked her hair his other hand while murmuring that everything would be okay. He'd never seen Nepeta cry before, and he didn't think she'd be one to really cry about anything. Of course she had enough reasons to cry right now, so he sat there and let her cry for as long as she needed. He didn't have anywhere else to go or anything else to do, and it would be rude for him to leave her by herself. She finally stopped crying for awhile and was now trying to catch her breath from crying so hard, and Karkat gently rocked her back and forth to comfort her more. The memory of the stab wounds had faded, so Nepeta's back and chest remained unscathed as when she was alive.

"Are you okay now?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"You're right that it's not fair. We can't do anything about it now, so I'll stay by your side. I won't leave you alone here in these dreambubbles. I promise you."

She smiled and kissed his cheek," Thank you."

"Let's go walk around some more shall we? We could even visit your land," he suggested.

She took his hand," That sounds like a wonderful idea."


	4. Together in Death

Together in Death

All was calm in the room, but it emanated an eerie atmosphere. Blood was splattered everywhere on the floor, walls, and some on the ceiling. Nepeta lay on the floor a few inches away from Karkat with her hair mussed and splayed out in every direction. Everything in her body ached and her head throbbed uncomfortably. She groggily opened one eye to check on the status of the injured troll in front of her. He was in the same condition as her and was covered in his candy red mutant blood that he hated so much; At least she wouldn't have to go alone. She inhaled and let out a painful cough which sent more olive blood spattering in his direction.

"Could you do me a favor and cover your mouth? It's the polite thing to do," Karkat grumbled.

She giggled," Shut up I can't help it, Karkat."

"I don't know what you're so giggly about. We just got pulverized by a psycho clown, and now we're going to die."

She smiled wearily," I know that silly. I know."

"Aside from all the pain and blood everywhere-and I don't know why I'm asking this- but are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. You're with me right now, so it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"It'd be worse if I weren't here?"

"It'd be worse if I had to die alone, but it would be worse if you weren't here with me."

"Then I guess I'm glad I have the honor of dying with you. If that made any sense at all."

Nepeta coughed up more blood. They really should have been more careful. Perhaps they should have absconded instead of trying to fight Gamzee. That would have been the smarter idea, but Karkat insisted on trying to stop him. Nepeta was not going to leave Karkat to fend for himself, so she decided to help him. Now they lay on the ground covered in candy red and olive blood. She felt embarrassed from being covered from head to toe with her blood, but Karkat was in the same state so there was nothing to worry about. The pain was steadily growing worse, and she was finding it hard to keep her eyes open. She wanted to tell Equius that she wouldn't be able to see him later today, but she couldn't move anything and there was no point. Karkat opened his eyes, and she smiled at him. He returned her smile with a tired eye roll.

"I feel like you choose the absolute worst times to be happy," he muttered.

"Why? Would you rather have me sobbing my eyes out?"

He hesitated,"…No, I wouldn't."

"Good then because that's the exact opposite of what I want to be doing right now since I don't have much time left."

"I feel so stupid. I should have listened to you when you suggested that we leave."

"Well, I wasn't going to leave you to fight by yourself, so it's okay. I didn't want to lose you, so I decided to stay by your side."

"You're so stupid, Nepeta."

She frowned at him and stuck out her tongue.

He smiled," Thank you."

Nepeta painfully scooted closer to Karkat, and he slowly brought his arm over to wrap her in a hug. Blood continued to ooze slowly from their wounds and continued to stain the floor. Karkat was beginning to have trouble keeping his eyes open and looked over to Nepeta. Her breathing was getting slower and her eyes were closed. He idly stroked her messy hair and stared blankly at the ceiling, and Nepeta let out a soft, rolling purr. He was surprised she had the energy to do that and continued to stroke her hair. Maybe dying wasn't going to be so bad after all since he'd be with Nepeta once everything was over.

"Don't leave me here by myself, Karkat," she whispered.

"Nepeta, you're coming with me silly. There's no way you're going to be able to survive your wounds. We can't even move anywhere, and I have no idea if anyone is coming. If Gamzee comes back, he'll only finish us off."

"Everything hurts so much. Will you tell me a story?"

"Everything will be over soon. Fine, I'll tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a young huntress prowling through the forest. She was a very adept hunter and was very strong and fast. A young knight was sent into the forest to retrieve her for a special hunting mission," he paused and coughed up blood," The knight wandered into the forest to look for the huntress, but he did not realize that she was sneaking around in the shadows. The huntress crouched down low to the ground and wriggled her bottom as she began to pounce on him. The knight turned around just as the huntress came pouncing down on him. He was very irritated with her and she merely giggled at the knight."

"Is he a crabby knight?" she interrupted.

"Yes, he is. The Knight pushed her off, and she helped him stand. He began to tell her his reason for coming to the forest and why he needed her to come with him. The young huntress looked at him with slight confusion, but she nodded her head and agreed to go help the knight on such an important mission. He took her hand and walked out of the forest with her, and they began to head back to the castle."

Nepeta's eyelids slowly closed and her breathing was much slower than before. Karkat continued on with his story and gradually closed his eyes again. He trailed off a few times, and Nepeta muttered for him to continue. Karkat felt himself growing tired as he continued to speak and mildly complained whenever Nepeta told him to continue. He didn't know why he was bothering with continuing the story when he was getting so tired, but Nepeta was still in pain from her wounds and the story was a distraction for her. She'd stopped moving except for the very slow rise and fall of her chest and the occasional request to continue the story to keep her mind off of the pain.

"Nepeta…Nepeta, wake up," he murmured and fidgeted slightly.

She wasn't breathing anymore and her body was steadily growing cold. Karkat felt himself growing relaxed and soon warm hands touched his face. He opened his eyes once again to stare into white, dead eyes and the grin of a certain cat troll. He glared at her with irritation and sat up quickly.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"What? It's not like you had much time left anyways."

"I thought I was going to continue living by myself!"

"Oh you're so silly, Karkat, I wasn't going to leave you by yourself."

"You almost did!"

She stuck her tongue out at him and he returned the action with a blank, angry glare. She giggled and hugged him tightly, and he sighed and patted her head.

"Welcome back, Karkat."

"Yeah, yeah whatever good to see you too, Nepeta."


	5. Prospit

She wondered if anyone else realized that there were transportalizers that respectively teleported people to the opposing moons. Derse contained a transportalizer that would teleport someone to Prospit and vice versa with Prospit containing a transportalizer leading to Derse. She cautiously made her way through the golden streets. Imps and other monsters were attacking carapacians all around, and she wondered what those monsters were doing on Prospit in the first place. Sadly, she did not have her clawkind equipped on her dream self, so she was pretty much powerless until she could find a weapon to defend herself with. Hopefully, she wouldn't get attacked while she combed the streets for something useful to defend herself with. Something shiny caught her eye, and Nepeta lifted up her purple skirts to run over and see what it was. It was an axe, and it looked like it was in pretty good condition. She carefully picked it up by the wooden handle. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any problems with trying to wield it against any enemies. Her head poked out of the alleyway she was in and cautiously looked around for any immediate danger.

With the coast clear, Nepeta walked out of the alleyway and began looking around for any familiar faces. An imp came running towards her, and she swung the axe which split the imp in half and turned it into grist. She proceeded to hurry on down the road and battled imps on her way. Something grabbed Nepeta by the arm and yanked her into an alleyway. Her mouth was covered with one hand and the other hand kept her from swinging the axe. She slowly turned her head to see Karkat standing behind her, and she relaxed. Karkat moved his hands from her mouth and arms once she recognized who it was.

"Sorry for scaring you like that. That was a little idiotic of me," he apologized.

"Oh it's alright, Karkat, I'm glad to see someone I'm familiar with," she smiled.

"What do you think you're doing here? How did you get here in the first place?" He demanded.

"I found a transportalizer on Derse, and I guess it brought me here to Prospit."

"Are you completely stupid?! If you haven't noticed, we're busy fighting off enemies!"

She frowned," It's not like I knew you were fighting enemies! Cut me some slack."

"I'll cut you a whole meatloaf of slack if I have to," he said rolling his eyes.

She smirked and bopped his nose with her index finger," You're so silly, Karkat."

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just make sure our friends are safe."

"Okay!"

Karkat grabbed Nepeta's hand and began to make his way through the streets of Prospit with her. They encountered a few enemies as they searched for their friends, but fought back with the axe Nepeta found and a sickle Karkat found lying around. Occasionally, they had to run because there were too many enemies to face off against, so they had to retreat into secluded areas. Neither of them knew why there were enemies on Prospit, but it was best not to question it while they were running for their lives. A few narrow encounters resulted in deep cuts and gashes and torn clothing. They encountered Vriska who whizzed right past them followed by Terezi, and Nepeta saved Tavros from getting killed by an ogre. All three began heading to safety while Karkat and Nepeta went to search for Gamzee and Kanaya. Both stopped to take a breather near a pillar.

"Phew, all of this running around is getting tiring," Nepeta sighed.

"We still need to find Gamzee and Kanaya."

"You two are looking for us?" a voice sounded behind them.

Karkat and Nepeta turned to see Kanaya armed with a kitchen knife and Gamzee armed with a club.

"Well there you two are. We've been trying to get everyone to safety since we're being attacked."

"Oh, Karkat, we are just fine. There is no need to worry so much about us. What is Nepeta doing here?"

"She found a transportalizer on Derse that lead to here."

"Oh, isn't Equius worried about you dear?"

Nepeta giggled," I'm purretty sure he doesn't know I'm even here. We're not being attacked on Derse. At least we weren't when I left."

"You should probably go back after this, so you do not worry him. We all know how much he worries about your safety."

"I know. He can be a little overbearing sometimes."

"Shall we begin heading to safety then?"

"Let's go!"

The four trolls began making their way to where the others were gathered. There seemed to be fewer enemies in the streets, but they were more dangerous because they were larger enemies. Taking out enemies such as ogres and giclopes would be more difficult to deal with. Suddenly, Karkat and Nepeta were separated from Kanaya and Gamzee, and they looked around for the other two trolls. Karkat took Nepeta's hand again and continued walking in the direction they were going; he at least needed to keep her safe or face Equius' wrath. A loud growling nearby signaled Karkat to break into a run as he held Nepeta's hand firmly. Nepeta lifted her skirts in order not to trip and fall as they sprinted down the golden streets away from whatever was behind them. Karkat brought her through an alleyway and took a sharp right down another in hopes of eluding the enemy. He then made it back to the streets with Nepeta. A basilisk blocked their way, and Karkat ran to kill it with the sickle he had; Nepeta was faced with a giclops.

Karkat ran to help Nepeta fight off the giclops once he was finished with the basilisk. Nepeta was knocked into a pile of crates, and Karkat was slammed against a wall by the giclopes. Meanwhile, the other trolls were getting worried about Karkat and Nepeta not returning, so Kanaya decided to go back and look for them. She stepped over various piles of debris from buildings left by the larger enemies and walked around dead bodies of unfortunate carapacians. Loud crashing was heard from up ahead, and she hurried forward to investigate the noises. A scream was heard as well as a loud squelching noise while Kanaya made her way over. She froze on the spot when she arrived at the scene. The giclops had been defeated but not without a price; Nepeta knelt over a bloody Karkat.

"Y-you're going to be okay, Karkat. Everything is going to be just fine," she said with a shaky voice as she ripped cloth from her dress to clean up the blood.

"Nepeta, it's no use. I've already lost too much blood," Karkat squeezed his eyes tightly from the pain.

Nepeta fought to swallow the lump rising in her throat," No, no, no, you're going to be alright, Karkat. Just stay with me a-and you'll be okay. I know it will just hang in there."

Karkat grabbed her busy hands," Nep, please stop. It's not going to work no matter what you do."

"I don't want to lose you," she whispered.

He opened his eyes again," I know you don't, but I don't have much time left. I'm sorry that I have to leave you like this. I'm glad I was able to protect you for Equius."

Tears rolled down her cheeks despite her attempts to hold them in," Please don't leave me."

He took a hold of her face and brought it close to his," I know you don't want to lose me, but it's too late for me. Now I want you to have a good cry okay? I want you to let it all out because holding it in won't be good for you, and when you're finished I want you to make sure you'll stay out of trouble."

"But I-" she protested.

He interrupted her," No buts, Nepeta."

More tears streamed down her cheeks and onto his face, and Karkat brought Nepeta's face closer to kiss her. She was surprised at what he was doing, but she was grateful for at least one kiss before he was gone. She sat up and stroked his hair gently, and he closed his eyes as his breathing gradually slowed to a stop. Kanaya walked over and sat beside her; Nepeta broke down and sobbed into her shoulder.


	6. Knight: Apologize

Knight: Apologize

He hates himself for what he's done. He hates himself for a lot of silly reasons, but he wishes he could re-do this one moment. He wishes he could make it so that it never happened. Of course doing so would create a doomed timeline, but he didn't care. He wanted her back, and he didn't even realize how much he wanted her back. He- Karkat Vantas- realized that he wanted to see Nepeta Leijon again. He needed to apologize and tell her how sorry he was for sending off her moirail to die. He needed to apologize for the two unnecessary deaths he caused, especially hers. Nepeta's death was definitely unnecessary, and she never deserved it anyways.

Nepeta had been flushed for him for some time, and he knew it but decided to avoid bringing it up. He'd been convinced that he was flushed for Terezi, but that was all a huge mistake. He didn't need this drama; she's never been involved in any drama. The nubby horned mutant realized that the cat loving troll never really made enemies with anyone.

Maybe she didn't like Eridan, but he was trying to hit on her even though she showed no interest towards him. Occasionally, she'd put up a fuss with Equius, but she usually obeyed his orders anyways. She'd never been out to seek revenge on anyone, and she was pretty friendly to everyone she met. He wished he could take back every rude thing he said about her. Now she was dead, and he deeply regretted his cowardice. He should be the one who's dead right now. Currently, he was wandering through the dreambubbles. He'd seen various dead versions of himself from alternate timelines and other dead versions of his friends. Now he saw a figure in the distance clad in a green trench coat; he wondered where her hat was. He slowly approached the dead troll who he needed to apologize.

"Nepeta," he called out.

She jumped and turned around," Karkat!"

He was confused by her smile," Nepeta, I'm so sorry! I'm such an idiot for sending off Equius to deal with Gamzee, but I should have done it myself! It's all my fault that you're dead, but you shouldn't be dead right now! You have every reason to be angry with me right now, and I wouldn't blame you if you stopped talking to me. I wouldn't blame you if you started to hate me for what I did, and that's okay because I'm a mutant and you should be furious with me! I-"

"Karkat," she interrupted.

"Y-Yes?"

"Stop it. Please stop it. Yes, you've done things that you regret, but that's okay. We all make mistakes, Karkat. No, I'm not angry with you for sending Equius off to Gamzee. I'm not even close to being furious with you, and I don't understand why you would think that I am furious with you. Come on, Karkat, surely you know I'm not going to hate you for your blood color! I care about y_ou_, Karkat, not your blood color. I can't understand why you put yourself down so much when you've done all you can to get us through this game. I know you weren't intending to get us killed, but that's okay. There's nothing we can do about it now until the game ends."

"Nepeta…what am I supposed to do now?"

She gently took his face in her hands," You're going to win the game, Karkat. You're going to win it fur all of us. I know you can do it."

"Ha yeah, I'll definitely win this game with my s-"

"Stupendous leadership skills? Yes, I do believe you'll do a wonderful job of bringing everyone to victory with your stupendous leadership skills."

"I can't, Nepeta."

"You can. Stop doubting yourself."

Karkat stared into her dead, white eyes which glowed slightly in the darkness. He felt helpless and had no idea what he was supposed to do to win the game and bring all of his dead friends back. He wondered how much pain she felt when she was killed; he wondered if she called out his name and he didn't hear. He knew he had to win this game now for everyone and especially for her. Suddenly his lips felt warm pressure against his. _Are dead people supposed to have warm lips? _He thought to himself as Nepeta kissed him. He didn't move to reject her surprise kiss and merely moved his hands to her shoulders. Her kiss was gentle and sweet, and she was pulling away all too soon. He didn't want her to stop kissing him and fought to keep her lips on his, and she stopped pulling away from him. He didn't want to lose her again, but he knew he would have to go soon. She finally pulled away from him, and he allowed her to break the kiss. She smiled sweetly and hugged him tightly, and he rubbed circles into her back.

"I'll be back for you, Nepeta. I promise I'll win this game for you and for everyone else."

She smiled," That's good. I know you will do it. Good luck!"

Karkat nodded and kissed her cheek before leaving. He felt confident now as he left Nepeta behind, for he would be back for her. Maybe once everything was over they'd get to talk together, and maybe he'd be able to become her matesprit if she still wanted to. He'd finally be able to see everyone alive again. It was time for him to leave and get things done for once.


	7. Canon

Canon

It's all over now, and everyone is okay. No more sad tears are falling but happy ones. All of his teammates are safe, and all who were dead are now alive. He didn't think he'd get through it, but he accomplished his goal. He won the game for them and especially for her. Of course Karkat didn't win it on his own, for he had assistance from those who were still alive and even the undead. He couldn't take all the credit for himself, but everyone was alive now. Everyone from the dreambubbles had returned as well, and that excited him. He'd greeted his dead friends and said he'd catch up with them later, for there was someone of the upmost importance that he needed to see. It didn't help that everyone was so tall or that she was so short, but his gray eyes carefully scanned the crowd for the single person he needed to find. A blur of olive caught his eye, and he watched Nepeta hugging Equius as tightly as she could. She looked so happy to be reunited again with her moirail. Karkat waited for her to finish and carefully made his way through the crowd in order to reach her. Equius had gone off to the side for something else, and Karkat seized the chance to run to her. He caught her by surprise with a kiss, and her cheeks turned olive green. She looked shocked, and he wondered why she was shocked since she'd kissed him in the dreambubbles.

He pulled away gently cupping her blushing face," Why so shocked, Nepeta?"

"I uh…what are doing, Karkat?" she blinked a few times and diverted her gaze to the ground to avoid his gaze.

He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes," I'm making your OTP canon…"

Her face turned olive at that comment, and she felt like melting into the ground with embarrassment. _Did he really just say that? Am I dreaming? Am I still dead? _She thought looking extremely flustered. Her hands slid from her chin to cover up her face, and her heart raced inside her chest. She comments urging her on to make a move from the others, but she stood frozen on the spot without any idea what to do. This was too much for her, and she felt like disappearing and never coming back. Karkat gently pulled back her hands from her face, and she stared at him wide-eyed. He didn't look angry or anything and that really confused her, but she supposed he was trying to be nice to her and look non-threatening.

"You're blushing a lot," he said breaking the silence.

She squeezed her eyes shut," I-I don't know why! I just-"

"Then don't be so nervous."

She opened her eyes," I don't see how you're not nervous!"

"In any other situation I probably would be, but I'm too busy nearly cracking up at your nervousness that I don't feel nervous."

She slapped her hands to her face again," Shut up! I've lost the ability to talk to you like a normal person, and I don't know why I'm so nervous!"

"It's because I kissed you isn't it? It's because I kissed you willingly and it caught you off-guard."

She pointed a finger at him still looking flustered," So it _is_ your fault that I feel so nervous!"

"I thought that was the plan this entire time! You're still flushed for me aren't you?"

"Of course I am!"

"Then why are you freaking out so much?"

"I don't know anymore!"

"Calm down you'll blow a gasket!"

"Me? Why do _I_ need to calm down when you're the grumpy one?!"

"I just want you to relax so you don't pass out from blushing so much! Why is it wrong for me to be calm for once?"

She buried her face in his chest, and he hugged her tightly. She had butterflies in her stomach, and felt incredibly dizzy. She'd spoken to Karkat multiple times before, so she couldn't understand why she was so nervous right now.

"I'm glad you're alive again."

"Thank you…"

"So is your OTP canon now or what?"

She looked up at him with a smile," Yes, yes it is."

* * *

All done with the dreambubbles! I ended up ending it on a happy note instead of sad.


End file.
